Police: Man Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting Was Holding Knife
DENVER (CBS4) – A man shot by police inside of a home in Denver's Baker neighborhood has died.
Police were called to the home on Fox Street and Ellsworth Avenue shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday.
They found a man inside of the home who was armed with a knife, according to Eranda Piyansena, a technician with the Denver Police Department.
Piyasena said that the suspect advanced at officers with the knife and refused to comply with orders to drop his weapon.
Police said that an officer deployed his taser, which was not effective.
At that time, police fired shots, striking the suspect.
The adult male suspect was rushed by ambulance to an area hospital but died from his injuries.
People who live and work in the area were shaken up by the shooting.
"It's just too bad that had to happen," said a woman who preferred to remain anonymous. "(It's) too bad they couldn't have gotten him out without killing him, you know. But it is what it is I guess."
According to police, several other people were in the home at the time of the shooting, including one man who hid on top of the roof.
A fire truck's ladder lifted SWAT officers to the rooftop where police took the man into custody.
"This is something you wouldn't expect to happen, especially here," said Jourdan Eloriaga, a neighbor. "So it's a shock to the neighborhood, and it's a shock to the community."
Eloriaga said the neighborhood was normally uneventful, except for at the house of the shooting, where police had been called multiple times before.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
